Time limits
Trading at these firms is not a matter of "when you want," but of staying within their activity windows.
- Inactivity traps: At QT Funded, you cannot leave your account untouched for more than 14 days in most plans (QT Instant, Power, and 1 Step); otherwise, the account is closed. Core Funded is slightly more lenient, but still restricts you to a 30-day window of inactivity before terminating your access.
- Minimum trading days: You cannot pass an evaluation instantly in most cases. Core Funded requires at least 3 days for Standard plans and 5 days for Flex or Instant accounts. QT Funded imposes 4 minimum trading days per phase in several plans (QT TWO, Power) and even during the funded stage.
- Evaluation pressure: While neither firm has a maximum time limit to pass, the inactivity rules act as a "soft" deadline that forces you to find trades even when the market offers no clear opportunities.
Weekends and news
The freedom to trade during high-impact events or hold positions is heavily restricted by fine print.
- The news blackout: At Core Funded, you are forbidden from opening or closing trades 5 minutes before and after high-impact news in funded accounts. If you want this restriction removed, you must pay for an add-on. QT Funded imposes a wider 10-minute restricted window (5 before, 5 after) for QT TWO accounts, covering CPI, FOMC, and NFP.
- Modification limits: While QT Funded allows modifying SL/TP during news, it prohibits new entries. Core Funded simply removes profits from trades executed during the window if you didn't buy the "News Trading" extra.
- Weekend holding: Both allow weekend holding, but at QT Funded, you are restricted by the assets the broker (Quant Tekel) allows to remain open.
Where you can trade from
Your physical location is a hard limit for both companies, though the lists differ significantly.
- Core Funded exclusions: You cannot trade from a long list of 27 countries, including Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and several African nations.
- QT Funded exclusions: This firm restricts access to residents of Cyprus, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and Russia.
- Effect: If you belong to these jurisdictions, you are legally barred from participating, regardless of your trading skill.
What the platform limits
Technical choices and trading styles are restricted to keep the firm's risk under control.
- Platform lock-in: At Core Funded, you are forced to use MatchTrader; you cannot use MetaTrader or cTrader. QT Funded offers more variety (MT5, cTrader, TradeLocker), but you cannot use EAs without a mandatory pre-approval process.
- The Stop Loss shackle: In QT TWO and QT Instant funded accounts, you are not allowed to trade without a Stop Loss; it must be placed within 60 seconds of opening the position. Core Funded does not require an SL but limits your margin usage to 50%.
- Style prohibitions: Core Funded forbids Martingale and limits stacking (no more than 3 positions on a losing idea). It also prohibits "aggressive" scalping (more than 50% of trades lasting less than one minute). QT Funded forbids having three or more open positions on the same asset simultaneously in funded accounts.
What the rules cost you
The price of the challenge is only the first of many financial barriers.
- Withdrawal caps: Core Funded severely limits your access to your earned profits. You can only request up to 50% of your profit per request, and it is capped at $2,500 for accounts up to $100k (or $5,000 for larger ones). The rest must remain in the account.
- Hidden fees: QT Funded's QT Power and 1 Step plans include mandatory "activation fees" once you pass, which can be as high as $500, significantly increasing the total cost of the capital.
- Refund delays: You cannot get your fee back quickly at Core Funded; it is only reimbursed with your fourth payout. At QT Funded, you don't get a refund at all unless you specifically pay for an add-on during the purchase.
- Profit targets: You cannot access a funded account without hitting targets like 10% (Core 1-Step) or 8% (QT TWO Phase 1).
Restrictions that add up
The true difficulty arises when multiple rules overlap. At Core Funded, the combination of a 30% consistency rule with a 50% withdrawal cap means you can never fully "drain" your account, forcing you to keep skin in the game indefinitely. At QT Funded, the 14-day inactivity rule combined with a mandatory Stop Loss and the 1% max floating loss rule (for QT ONE/TWO) creates a high-pressure environment where a single technical error or a short vacation can lead to immediate account loss. Both firms use these overlapping layers to ensure that only the most disciplined—and restricted—traders survive.
Frequently asked questions
Which firm is cheaper to start, Core Funded or QT Funded?
Core Funded offers a $5,000 2-Step Standard account for €45, while QT Funded has a $5,000 QT Power account for only $28. However, QT Funded's QT Power plan requires a $500 activation fee when you pass, making Core Funded significantly cheaper in the long run for small accounts since it doesn't charge these high backend fees.
Which firm allows news trading with fewer restrictions, Core Funded or QT Funded?
Neither allows unrestricted news trading for free in funded accounts. Core Funded restricts a 10-minute window (5 before/5 after) but offers a paid add-on to remove it. QT Funded also has a 10-minute window for its QT TWO accounts, but the rule does not apply to QT ONE, Instant, or Power plans, making QT Funded more flexible depending on the specific plan you choose.
Which firm pays out faster, Core Funded or QT Funded?
Core Funded allows payouts on demand with a 3-day cycle after the first withdrawal. QT Funded's frequency depends on the plan: QT ONE and Instant have a 4-day cycle, while QT TWO and Power require waiting 14 days. Core Funded is generally more consistent in providing quick access to profits across all its evaluations.
Which firm has more restrictive drawdown rules, Core Funded or QT Funded?
It depends on the plan. Core Funded uses static drawdown across all accounts (6% to 12% depending on the plan), which is generally more trader-friendly. QT Funded uses trailing drawdown for its QT Instant (6%) and QT 1 Step (6%) plans, which follows your profit and is much harder to manage than the static limits found in Core Funded.
